The Brookhaven leader., 1887-12-01
ATLANTA ELECTION.
A VICTORY FOR THE ANTI
PROHIBITIONISTS.
The Largest Vote Brought Ont
Ever POlled i'm the City---Excit-
ing Scenes Around the Polls
The Disgraceful Conduct of the
NVh;slyyifaG

ATLANTA, Nov. 2O.-lne greatest
election ever held in Atlanta came off
to-day. The prohibition law, carried
here two years ago, was defeated by
the overwhelming majority of Liza
votes. Every ward in the city was
carried by good majority by the
Anti ProhibitiOnists, and of the ten
precincts in the county outside only
one was carried by the Prohibition
lists. Ont of total registration of
II, l40 votes III the county more than
1000 votes were pOlled, by far the
largest vote ever polled in the county.
The poll in the city alone was over
1000 voted.
The fight has been peculiarly
bitter one. For over month the
citizens have been engaged in the con-
test. Meetings have been he ii almost
every night and local speakers and
foreign statesmen have stumped the
county from every curbstone i'll the
city and every cross roads in the
county. Early in the campaign the
ProhibitiOnists leased the largest
warehouse in the city and fitted it up
with seating capacity for 5000 peO-
pie. Almost nightly that building
has been filled, and such scenes of
wild. enthusiasm are rarely witnessed.
Almost every minister preached pro-
lnbltion from his pulpit Sunday after
Sunday. Both sides had full cam
paign funds andmanaged their respec-
tive causes for all they were worth.
The negro vote was the bone OfcOn-
tention and the balance of power.
Each side mad the most strenuous
endeavors to secure it in every way
possible. The negroes were con
siderably divided on the subject,
though the majority of them voted
with the ti-Prohibitionists.
One of the features of the contest
has been the active part taken by
the women of the city. Several of the
churches organized committees from
among their female members who took
an active part in the campaign. They
organized the women of the cOlOred
churches into sOcities and met with
them and prayed with them day after
day.
Fulton county, in which Atlanta is
located, voted two years ago on the
same question and went for prohibi-
ton by majority of 22S out of about
5000 votes. The registration this
time exceeded that of last year by
1000 votes. The principal fight made
on Prohibition during the campaign
was that it did not prohibit, and that
Intoxicating drinks could be openly
purchased in number of places
throughout the city which paid taxes
! to the United States government for
the sale of whisky.
Thousands of gallons have been
sent in each month from cities around
Atlanta, from which it was almost as
easy to get Il Jug as it was at bars in
| the city. The Ants claim that PrUhi
bition injured the city, which was re-
ceiving $4,000 year in whisky
| licenses, without decreasing i'll the
slightest the amount of whisky sold i'll
the city.
The Prohibitionists on the other
hand claimed that Atlanta has never
had Prohibition; that while it was so
voted 2 wears ago, the license then ex-
listing did not expire, some of them I'M
| til almost Il year ago. and that since
that time the domestic wine clause i'll
the local option bill allowed many
places in the city by which the law
could be easily evaded. This was,
however, remedied by the last Legisla-
ture. which put license of $4,000
on all winerOOms, which license will
90 into effect after Jan. ].
The clans began gathering at the
polls early this morning. The voting
began mt O'Clock and the polls closed
at 6 in the evening. Business in the
city was almost entirely suspended
and the "battle OF the ballots was
waged furiously all day. Every inch
of ground was stUbbOrnly contested
and both factions were confident OF
victory until o'clock in the evening,
when the returns from the country
precincts began coming i'll and the
| Prohibitionists began to weaken.
The scenes at the polls bcggar de-
scliption. Many of the best ladies of
the city were on hand serving lunches
and hot coffee to the PrOhibitiOnists
and urging them on to victory. The
fair sex gave the Anti-Prohibltlonlsts
the cold shoulder all the way through,
and retired to their homes i'll the
deepest sadness when the result OF
the election became known. Bands
of little children singing hymns were
seen at the polls, who between their
sweet singing, begged the voters to
cast their ballots against the return OF
! the bar-rOOms.
A most pathetic scene was observed
at the fifth ward polls. where poorly
clad and pale faced factory children
sang " Home, Sweet Home" and sacred
songs to the voters, and with tears
| in their eyes entreated them to vote
against barrOOms. In many instan-
ces the nti-Prohibitionists jeered
these children, and Haunted their wet
tickets marked for the sale" in their
faces.
At the third ward polls disgraceful
scenes were enacted. Abandoned
negro women stood near the polls
shouting for liquor, and hooting at
every man who passed with blue
badge on. Hundreds of citizens were
challenged at the polls by both fac
tions. In the fifth ward the vote of
DIR. j. b. Hawthorne, Prohibition
leader, was challenged, and he was
otherwise insulted. He denounced his
challenger.
w. A. Fuller, an Prohibition
list, took the required oath, deposited
his ballot and left in a great rage.
The Anti PrOhibitiOnists wore red
badge with "liberty" marked on it,